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If and when I win lotto I'm moving to the UK for 12 months, spending time in areas like this (with permission) detecting treasures left behind by the Vikings, Romans etc.
View attachment 14691
That is something I yearn to do too... would be a dream come true, living near the city is rich in history of its own, but nothing compared to that of lost civilizations from even further back in the day..
 
A pleasant welcome to Wales in the small village, Hay on the Wye.
Have just walked into the Three Tuns for a bite and a pint.
Very friendly they offered me my own monogrammed glass. 😂😀View attachment 14767
When we left they presented me with a pint glass to take home as a momento.😁
 
A pleasant welcome to Wales in the small village, Hay on the Wye.
Have just walked into the Three Tuns for a bite and a pint.
Very friendly they offered me my own monogrammed glass. 😂
Wales the source of most of the UK’s gold. Are you going to get a chance to pan a bit from the Welsh gold mining areas. Would be cool to find a few bits to bring home.
 
Wales the source of most of the UK’s gold. Are you going to get a chance to pan a bit from the Welsh gold mining areas. Would be cool to find a few bits to bring home.
Gold in Wales is some of the worlds most expensive however time getting permission from landowners rules out any time spent panning.
 
Thought to Share.
Whilst on a aluminum ladder this morning attending a domestic roof gutter repair i noticed a tingle on the hair on my legs like the one you get when testing a 9 volt battery on the tip of your tongue.
Shizza ... it seems like i have an Electrical Earth Leak or what some may know as Parasitic Leakage coming from the roof.
So i placed a volt meter between the gutter and the ladder and got a reading of 44 volts.
Went to the fuse box and flicked different circuit breakers on / off and rechecked the volt reading and got various results.
OK i`ll see what readings i get at the Earth Pin Connection.
Well the connection was in a poor state that being oxidized and loose.
Now i have the connection components cleaned when i work out where the fault is i`m going to lead wipe the clamp and wires around the Earth Pin and use a stainless steel clamping bolt.

Another story on this subject ;
Involved in a home renovation partly demolition the builder was knocking out timber framing stud work.
`i` said to him be careful of the cables as some times the worst electrical shocks can come from Earth Leaks.
He dismissed what i had just said to him as he seemed to think it was ok as he had removed the fuses that supply power to that area.
Only moments after he attacked the old cotton coated wires running through the stud work with a jimmy bar and wow and behold sparks blew out everywhere.
`i` Told You So.``
He could not believe it.
Trust your instincts folks but do not trust half knowledge on potential dangers that you cannot see.
 

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Thought to Share.
Whilst on a aluminum ladder this morning attending a domestic roof gutter repair i noticed a tingle on the hair on my legs like the one you get when testing a 9 volt battery on the tip of your tongue.
Shizza ... it seems like i have an Electrical Earth Leak or what some may know as Parasitic Leakage coming from the roof.
So i placed a volt meter between the gutter and the ladder and got a reading of 44 volts.
Went to the fuse box and flicked different circuit breakers on / off and rechecked the volt reading and got various results.
OK i`ll see what readings i get at the Earth Pin Connection.
Well the connection was in a poor state that being oxidized and loose.
Now i have the connection components cleaned when i work out where the fault is i`m going to lead wipe the clamp and wires around the Earth Pin and use a stainless steel clamping bolt.

Another story on this subject ;
Involved in a home renovation partly demolition the builder was knocking out timber framing stud work.
`i` said to him be careful of the cables as some times the worst electrical shocks can come from Earth Leaks.
He dismissed what i had just said to him as he seemed to think it was ok as he had removed the fuses that supply power to that area.
Only moments after he attacked the old cotton coated wires running through the stud work with a jimmy bar and wow and behold sparks blew out everywhere.
`i` Told You So.``
He could not believe it.
Trust your instincts folks but do not trust half knowledge on potential dangers that you cannot see.

Do you have solar panels? That might be the source of the power leakage.

I can tell you that one chomp on a 240V cable in a dark roof space can blow the jaws out of a perfectly good pair of side cutters and it can take a while for spots in your eyes to disappear o_O
 
Do you have solar panels? That might be the source of the power leakage.

I can tell you that one chomp on a 240V cable in a dark roof space can blow the jaws out of a perfectly good pair of side cutters and it can take a while for spots in your eyes to disappear o_O
Yes the blown out Cresent pliers in the dark attic that cost $38 when the weekly wage was $72 for 1st years apprentices.
Been there done that stripping out old cables and the fuses were out `appartently` 🤬
Tested the volts at the earth pin and the readings were 1.2 to 0.8 volts varying so i`m thinking also solar panel discharge occurring and the short is isolated to the roof.
Possibility this old style of silver sisalation has come into terminal contact above a light fitting or the unlikely of myself placing a roofing screw into a cable as the battens are on top of the ceiling lining supporting the cable feed.
The thought of a degrading old hot water system element has entered my mind as that is the only thing i`ve temporarily installed on the roof lately but i`m unclear if leakage there is a possibility....
Solar i`m not too familiar with but i think if the sun is out you can still get a boot even if the inverter is turned off.
`i` might throw a tarp over the panels as a preventative.
Rubber sole shoes , riggers gloves & foam knee pads i`d say today.
 
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With the discussion above about power and solar panels I decided to have a look at my latest power bill and my feed in tariff. My provider, AGL currently gives me a 5c per KW feed in tariff but charges me on average across the day (peak, mid and low) 37c per Kw. So selling my power they gat a 700% mark up. To add insult to injury they charge a daily supply charge of $1.31, obviously used to maintain the network. Got to feel for those that are soon to be charged for feeding back in to the grid.
I’m glad two months ago I took the decision to add a battery to my system and use my 5c per KW power rather than feed it to the grid.
 
Replacing a front gate post. Old one was damaged recently when a gust of wind swung one side of our double gates shut and split the old post.
Bugger of a job getting the old post out but finally got a new one concreted in. Now waiting for the concrete to cure before re-attaching the side fence and rehanging the gate. Fortunately the gate and hinges were not damaged so at $50 for the Cypress post maybe a few new railing timbers and $25 for a couple of bags of premixed high strength concrete, reckon have saved a few hundred dollars from getting in a professional fencer.
Lesson learned. Regularly inspect the retaining ground bolt hole of a gate for dirt build-up that would prevent the retaining bolt from fully engaging and allow a gust of wind to cause a gate to swing violently.
 

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Looking at replacing Solar Hot Water System.
It`s a nightmare trying to work out what is the go and if Gov rebates are worth it as i think you only really cover the installation costs. ?
I installed a coupled roof mounted evacuated tube system CN model 8 years ago but as i forgot to check the anode it`s now leaking from corrosion around the fittings.
The stainless steel of these retaining tanks are certainly not marine grade..
They are a very efficient system but the evacuated tubes are hail prone and in need of cage mesh protection.
I`m not totally convinced with solar split systems as heat pump motors are something else that can fail, more wiring cables,pipes and space needed for instal on the ground.
The cost of better brands is anywhere from $3.5k to $7k.
You can get a lot of gas for that price using Instantaneous Gas Hot Water about 3 months / person in showers on an 8.5kg bottle.
Washing up in the kitchen around 15 liters of water a day extra.
These gas systems retail around $1k for quality brands plus install fees but don`t buy Bosch even Dux from Bunnings are better them.
You can buy Solar Evacuated Tube CN brands from Alibaba for around $500 but with freight & taxes your up for about $2.5k and postage waiting time.
This one (pic below) 200 liter system Au stock CN brand for $1800 plus freight but not shore yet if this fee includes booster element, fittings and anode.
5 year warranty.
 

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Looking at replacing Solar Hot Water System.
It`s a nightmare trying to work out what is the go and if Gov rebates are worth it as i think you only really cover the installation costs. ?
I installed a coupled roof mounted evacuated tube system CN model 8 years ago but as i forgot to check the anode it`s now leaking from corrosion around the fittings.
The stainless steel of these retaining tanks are certainly not marine grade..
They are a very efficient system but the evacuated tubes are hail prone and in need of cage mesh protection.
I`m not totally convinced with solar split systems as heat pump motors are something else that can fail, more wiring cables,pipes and space needed for instal on the ground.
The cost of better brands is anywhere from $3.5k to $7k.
You can get a lot of gas for that price using Instantaneous Gas Hot Water about 3 months / person in showers on an 8.5kg bottle.
Washing up in the kitchen around 15 liters of water a day extra.
These gas systems retail around $1k for quality brands plus install fees but don`t buy Bosch even Dux from Bunnings are better them.
You can buy Solar Evacuated Tube CN brands from Alibaba for around $500 but with freight & taxes your up for about $2.5k and postage waiting time.
This one (pic below) 200 liter system Au stock CN brand for $1800 plus freight but not shore yet if this fee includes booster element, fittings and anode.
5 year warranty.

We only ever had Solahart on a couple of houses and it lasted for many years without maintenance. I guess your water quality has a lot to do with it's life expectancy. Now we only have an electric storage hot water system that we turn on 20min before a shower in the winter. The rest of the year we don't need hot water so it remains turned off. The washing machine heats its own as does the dishwasher.
 
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